DraftKings Early MLB Picks September 12: Snellzilla rules the Trop

DraftKings put the Wednesday slate in the blender and came out with the four early games in the early tournament, but hacking off the two that start in the afternoon all by their lonesome. They also left the San Diego-Seattle tilt out in the cold. I wish they would have left the other two afternoon games in here so we could get in on Wheeler. Oh well, there are still some elite pitchers going this afternoon even if the lower tier is a disaster.

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The weather looks good for the afternoon set of games. Even the wind will be tame in this one. Enjoy it while you can!

We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

These tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. We have plenty of writers on here who give you relevant information no matter which site you play on!

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BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 7: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 7, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Gerrit Cole ($12,000): Cole’s career numbers against the Tigers aren’t great, but he did pick up 26.6 DraftKings points against them earlier this season. It’s hard to call a 3.47 ERA a step back, but that is Cole’s ERA over his last ten starts and it’s almost a run higher than his ERA was heading into that stretch. If you don’t want to pay up, I understand. We have plenty of other options, even on just a four game slate.

Blake Snell ($10,500): The Indians have hit Snell pretty well, but if there is one thing I have learned this season, it’s that you don’t mess with Snellzilla at home. Snell has a 1.23 ERA in 12 home starts, and he racked up 29.6 DraftKings points against Cleveland earlier this season. I see a clear case for him being my number one, and I trust him more than Cole for much less of a cap hit!

Carlos Carrasco ($10,200): Carrasco has held the Rays to a .220 average in 50 at bats with three homers, five RBI, and a staggering 21 strikeouts. Strikeouts are the clear upside here. Carrasco has pitched much better on the road this year, so I do like this situation for Carrasco. However, all five of those runs off of him came in one game earlier this year in Cleveland.

Middle Tier:

Jameson Taillon ($8,500): The Cardinals are only hitting .227 against Taillon in 88 at bats with two homers, six runs, and 23 strikeouts. In two starts against St. Louis this year, Tallion has 48.2 DraftKings points. That’s a solid return on his price. That makes Taillon a very strong SP2, or even a good SP1 if you aren’t expecting good things from the top tier.

Bargain Pitchers:

Daniel Poncedeleon ($6,200): It’s hard to ignore the numbers that Poncedeleon has put up between the rotation and relief this year. It is equally hard to ignore his struggles at Busch Stadium. However, in his last start, Poncedeleon racked up 18.8 DraftKings points against the Dodgers in L.A. He likely wont go deep into the game, and the home numbers are concerning, but if you are considering dropping to this tier for any reason, Poncedeleon is the more reliable option.

Daniel Norris ($5,000): When I said that the bargain tier was barren, I wasn’t kidding. Now, Norris hasn’t been all that bad, especially at home, but it’s hard to recommend anyone against the Astros right now. Norris does have 12 strikeouts in only 9.2 home innings, so I can see a case for chasing the strikeouts. When it comes down to it, Norris has a high strikeout upside. He is also 0-3 with a 5.47 ERA facing a very potent offense. I can see this as a contrarian play to chase strikeouts, but it’s an all or nothing proposition. Norris could just as well wind up with negative points.

HOUSTON, TX – AUGUST 30: Tyler White #13 of the Houston Astros hits a two run home run in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Minute Maid Park on August 30, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Stacking Astros against Daniel Norris may not be a horrible idea. Norris has been decent in his last couple of starts, but this is an elite offense that clobbers left handed pitching. Alex Bregman, Altuve, Correa, Tyler White, and Evan Gattis are all in play here.

Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez have the homers against Jameson Taillon. I’m not rushing to use either one of them though. Martinez is priced low enough, but it’s hard to pack two strong pitchers and Carpenter into a lineup.

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Middle Tier:

I don’t trust that Ross Stripling is going to go deep enough into the game to warrant paying for him. However, I’m not going to take a shot at him either. Gennett or Schebler are worth a look, but I think the chances of Billy Hamilton getting on a stealing a bag or two are better than one of them going deep.

C.J. Cron, Brandon Lowe, and Kevin Kiermaier have all homered against Carlos Carrasco. If you want to take a run at him, these are the guys to do it with.

If you are looking for an early stack, it should be the Dodgers. Joc Pederson and Chase Utley have homered off of DeSclafani so far. Brian Dozier, Puig, and Justin Turner all have good numbers off of him as well.

Bargain Shoppers:

The good part about taking a run at Poncedeleon is that most of the Pirates are cheap. Cervelli, Colin Moran, Josh Bell, Corey Dickerson, and Jordan Luplow are all $3,800 or less. Adam Frazier is only $400 more, and may be the best play of them all!

Mikie Mahtook has the only Tigers homer against Gerrit Cole. V-Mart is worth a look as his farewell season winds down, but other than that, the Tigers are tough to use today.

Next. MLB Game by Game breakdown August 30. dark

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